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| THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, | 
Princeton,  N.  J. 


*  111  II    '     l    >n 


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Sods 

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THE  SAINT 


AND 


THE      SINNER. 


BY  THE 
Rev.  WILLIAM  S.  PLUMER,  D.D. 


PHILADELPHIA : 
PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD    OF   PUBLICATION. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1849, 

By  Alexander  W.  Mitchell,  M.  D. 

In  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  for  the 
Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


THE  SAINT  AND  THE  SINNER. 


The  Bible  never  confounds  the  right- 
eous and  the  wicked.  It  never  des- 
cribes a  man  in  doubtful  terms.  It 
never  puts  light  for  darkness,  nor  dark- 
ness for  light.  If  God  is  true,  the  saint 
and  the  sinner  are  unlike.  Every  man 
is  either  just  or  unjust,  a  child  of  God 
or  a  child  of  the  devil.  To  be  both  or 
to  be  neither  is  impossible.  In  God's 
kingdom  there  is  no  neutrality.  Every 
man  is  a  friend  or  a  foe,  a  child  or  an 
alien,  an  heir  of  God  or  an  heir  of  per- 
dition. Every  man  is  now  going,  as 
rapidly  as  time  can  carry  him,  towards 


4  THE    SAINT 

heaven  or  towards  hell.  Nor  will  it 
be  long  before  he  reaches  the  end  of 
his  journey,  and  begins  the  hallelujahs 
of  heaven,  or  the  wailings  of  despair. 
The  stamp  of  eternity  and  the  seal  of 
immutability  will  soon  be  put  on  every 
soul.  Then  he  who  is  holy,  shall  be 
holy  still ;  and  he  who  is  filthy,  shall 
be  filthy  still. 

"To  which  class  do  I  belong?"  is  a 
momentous  question,  fit  to  be  asked  by 
every  man. 

It  is  readily  admitted  that  no  man  is 
as  good  or  bad  as  he  will  be  in  a  future 
state.  No  Christian  is  yet  perfect; 
nor  is  sin  yet  finished.  In  the  Chris- 
tian are  the  remains  of  "the  old  man" 
with  his  sinful  lusts  and  habits.  In 
the  sinner  are  the  remains  of  con- 
science, natural  affection,  and  the  ef- 
fects of  some  good  education.  But  the 
elements  of  their  characters,  are  as  dif- 
ferent as  gold  and  dross,  as  wheat  and 
chaff,  as  sheep  and  goats.     One  is  a 


AND    THE    SINNER.  5 

saint.  The  other  is  a  sinner.  One 
loves  what  the  other  hates,  and  hates 
what  the  other  loves.  One  rejoices  in 
what  the  other  weeps  over,  and  weeps 
over  what  the  other  rejoices  in.  In  the 
elements  of  moral  character  there  is  a 
perfect  contrast.  Heaven  and  hell  are 
not  more  unlike. 

It  is  admitted  that  there  are  seeming 
contradictions  in  the  Christian.  Many 
things  are  true  of  him,  which  seem 
absurd  to  men  who  have  no  spiritual 
discernment.  But  no  good  man  is 
ashamed  of  these  things.  Many  of 
them  are  the  glory  of  religion.  "Wis- 
dom is  justified  of  her  children."  To 
give  up  all  that  seems  mysterious  to  a 
carnal  mind  would  be  a  surrender  of 
the  essence  of  saving  truth.  Men  count 
many  things  weak  and  foolish,  which 
are  above  all  price.  "The  weakness 
of  God  is  stronger  than  men,  and  the 
foolishness  of  God  is  wiser  than  men." 
1* 


6  CHARACTER    OF 

Let  us  look  at  each  character  by 
itself. 

THE    SAINT. 

He  lives  as  seeing  a  God,  who  is  and 
ever  shall  be  invisible.  He  believes  in 
a  being  whom  no  man  has  seen,  or  can 
see  and  live.  He  believes  that  there  is 
one,  and  but  one  God ;  yet  he  believes 
there  are  three  persons  or  distinctions 
in  his  nature,  by  which  he  subsists  as 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost.  Yet  he 
believes  the  Father  to  be  no  older  than 
the  Son,  but  both  to  be  eternal.  He 
believes  the  Spirit,  who  proceeds  from 
the  Father  and  the  Son,  to  be  eternal 
also;  and  all  three  persons  to  be  equal  in 
power  and  glory,  and  the  same  in  sub- 
stance or  essence.  So  that  there  are 
three  persons  in  one  nature.  As  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  believes  that  He 
has  two  natures  in  one  person  for  ever, 
and  yet  without  mixture.  He  believes 
that  He  was  the   maker  of  his  own 


THE    SAINT.  7 

mother,  and  that  his  mother  was  a  vir- 
gin. He  believes  that  He.  who  made 
swaddling-bands  for  the  sea,  was  him- 
self wrapped  in  swaddling-bands.  He 
looks  "upon  his  Saviour  as  so  great  that 
the  heaven  of  heavens  could  not  con- 
tain him,  and  so  condescending  that  he 
once  lay  in  a  stable.  He  believes  that 
He,  who  hath  life  in  himself,  was  once 
dead.  He  believes  that  Jesus  Christ 
never  offended  his  Father,  and  that  yet 
that  very  Father  said:  " Awake,  O 
sword,  and  smite  the  man  that  is  my  fel- 
low." He  knows  that  God  is  just,  and  yet 
poured  out  his  wrath  on  one  who  never 
sinned.  He  believes  that  God  wTill  not 
clear  the  guilty,  and  yet  that  he  justi- 
fies the  most  ungodly  sinners,  wTho  be- 
lieve in  Jesus.  He  accounts  pardon 
most  free,  yet  believes  it  was  purchased 
at  the  greatest  price.  "He  believes 
himself  to  be  precious  in  God's  sight, 
yet  loathes  himself  in  his  own  sight. 
He  dares  not  justify  himself  in  those 


8  CHARACTER    OF 

tilings,  wherein  he  can  find  no  fault  in 
himself,  and  yet  believes  that  God  ac- 
cepts him  in  those  services,  wherein  he 
is  able  to  find  many  faults."  He  be- 
lieves many  things,  which  he  cannot 
comprehend,  and  yet  has  good  cause 
for  all  that  he  does  believe.  He  knows 
far  more  than  he  once  did,  yet  thinks 
he  knows  little  or  nothing.  He  walks 
not  by  sight,  yet  he  is  neither  blind  nor 
in  darkness. 

He  hopes  for  things  which  he  could 
not  describe  or  form  a  conception  of. 
He  is  confident  that  he  shall  reach  a 
world,  not  one  of  whose  inhabitants  he 
has  ever  seen.  He  knows  that  God  is 
merciful;  therefore  he  fears  him.  He 
knows  that  he  is  just;  therefore  he 
praises  him.  He  approaches  God  bold- 
ly, yet  is  so  ashamed  that  he  cannot 
look  up.  He  often  boasts,  but  is  always 
humble.  He  expects  all  blessings,  yet 
always  confesses  he  deserves  none.  He 
is  both  a  worm  and  a  hero.     He  fears 


THE    SAINT.  9 

always,  yet  is  never  a  coward.  He  de- 
ceives many,  and  is  yet  true.  He  is 
unknown,  and  yet  well  known.  He 
dies  daily,  and  yet  he  is  more  alive 
every  day.  He  bears  strokes  of  chas- 
tisement, which  would  kill  a  wicked 
man,  and  yet  he  says,  "  it  is  good  for 
me  that  I  have  been  afflicted."  He  is 
often  sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoicing. 
He  is  poor,  yet  has  great  riches.  He  has 
nothing,  yet  possesses  all  things.  No 
man  sighs  so  much,  yet  no  man  gives 
half  so  many  thanks.  He  does  not  seek 
great  things,  yet  he  aspires  to  a  king- 
dom. In  whatsoever  state  he  is,  he  is 
content;  yet  he  is  never  satisfied,  nor 
will  he  be,  till  he  awakes  with  God's 
likeness. 

Before  God  he  is  all  abasement.  Be- 
fore man  he  neither  cringes,  nor  trem- 
bles. He  is  strongest  when  he  is  weak- 
est, and  is  farthest  from  meanness  when 
he  is  most  humble.  He  can  pardon  a 
great  fault  in  another,  but  cannot  for- 
give a  small  fault  in  himself.     He  is 


10  CHARACTER    OF 

rich  when  men  count  him  poor,  and 
poor  when  men  count  him  rich.  He 
believes  that  the  world  is  his,  yet  he 
will  not  touch  it  without  leave.  He 
knows  that  God  has  given  him  richly 
all  things  to  enjoy,  yet  finds  great  plea- 
sure in  self-denial.  He  serves  God 
without  sordidly  bargaining  for  any 
thing,  yet  he  expects  the  very  largest 
reward.  He  saves  his  life  by  losing  it. 
He  is  exceedingly  wise  for  himself,  yet 
is  not  selfish.  No  man  has  so  many 
sorrows  and  reproaches,  yet  no  man 
has  so  many  comforts  and  honours. 
The  more  he  forsakes  the  world,  the 
more  he  enjoys  it.  The  more  he  makes 
war  on  himself,  the  more  is  he  recon- 
ciled to  his  lot. 

He  is  full  of  revenge,  yet  has  no 
malice.  His  worst  enemies  often  do 
him  the  greatest  services  without  in- 
tending it.  To  his  dearest  friend  he  is 
sometimes  compelled  to  say,  "  Get  be- 
hind me,  Satan.  Thou  savourest  not 
the  things  that  be  of  God."     He  loves 


THE    SAINT.  11 

and  cherishes  his  own  flesh,  yet  keeps 
his  body  under,  hates  his  own  life,  and 
is  temperate  in  all  things.  He  loves  all 
men  as  himself,  yet  hates  some  men 
with  a  perfect  hatred.  He  is  the  best 
child,  husband,  brother,  friend,  yet 
hates  father  and  mother,  brother  and 
sister.  He  does  good  and  lends, 
hoping  for  nothing  again;  yet  expects 
an  hundred  fold  more  in  this  w^orld, 
and  in  the  world  to  come,  life  everlast- 
ing. He  has  no  strength,  yet  can  do 
all  things.  "He  desires  to  have  more 
grace  than  any  man  in  the  world  has, 
yet  is  truly  sorry  when  he  sees  any 
man  have  less  than  himself."  He  calls 
no  man  father  or  master,  yet  is  most 
careful  to  give  honour  to  whom  honour 
is  due.  "  He  knows  that  if  he  please 
man,  he  cannot  be  the  servant  of  Christ; 
yet  for  Christ's  sake  he  pleases  all  men 
in  all  things."  When  he  sleeps  his 
heart  vrakes,  yet  no  man  sleeps  so 
sweetly.     He  has  the  peace  of  God, 


12  CHARACTER   OF 

•which  passes  all  understanding,  yet 
has  fightings  without,  and  fears  within. 
He  is  the  most  peaceable  of  men,  yet  is 
ever  at  war. 

Great  carefulness  is  wrought  in  him, 
yet  he  is  careful  for  nothing,  having 
cast  all  his  care  upon  the  Lord.  He 
often  sharply  reproves  a  friend,  but 
speaks  words  of  kindness  to  an  enemy. 
So  surely  as  you  greatly  injure  him, 
he  will  pray  for  you.  He  heartily 
thanks  the  meanest  man  for  any  kind- 
ness, yet  he  never  thanks  the  greatest 
angels  for  their  greatest  kindnesses. 
The  word  of  God  is  to  him  life  and 
joy,  sweeter  than  honey  and  the  honey- 
comb, yet  he  trembles  at  it  and  is 
afraid.  "He  would  lay  down  his  life 
to  save  the  soul  of  his  enemy,  yet  will 
not  venture  on  one  sin  to  save  the  life 
of  one  who  has  saved  his  life." 

In  honour  he  prefers  others,  yet 
knows  that  by  his  birth  from  above  he 
is  more  honourable  than  if  he  had  had  a 


THE    SAINT.  13 

king  for  his  father  and  a  queen  for  his 
mother.  He  remembers  kindness  for 
life,  but  tries  to  banish  even  from  his 
memory  all  acts  of  unkindness.  He 
contemns  the  wicked,  however  great, 
and  honours  the  righteous,  however 
humble.  No  man  puts  a  higher  value 
on  a  good  name,  yet  he  seeks  not  the 
honour  that  comes  from  man.  To  him 
a  palace  is  often  as  a  prison,  and  a  pri- 
son as  a  palace.  Though  a  servant,  he 
is  free.  He  swears  to  his  own  hurt 
and  changes  not. 

He  knows  that  when  he  has  done  all 
that  he  is  commanded  to  do,  he  is  but 
an  unprofitable  servant.  His  hope  ot 
salvation  is  all  of  grace.  He  believes 
on  Christ,  as  if  he  had  no  works,  yet  he 
works  as  if  his  heaven  depended  on  him- 
self. He  works  out  his  salvation  with 
fear  and  trembling,  yet  says,  "What 
I  am,  I  am  by  the  grace  of  God."  He 
uses  means,  but  does  not  rely  on  them. 
He  believes  God's  counsel  is  fixed,  and 
2 


14  CHARACTER    OF 

that  he  knows  the  end  from  the  begin- 
ning, yet  he  is  not  repelled  from  the 
mercy-seat,  nor  given  over  to  sloth. 
He  fervently  prays  for  perfect  holiness 
in  this  life,  though  he  knows  he  shall 
not  attain  to  it.  If  he  knows  a  blessing 
is  about  to  come  upon  him,  he  prays 
most  fervently  for  it.  He  daily  prays, 
"Lead  me  not  into  temptation,"  yet 
counts  it  all  joy  wThen  he  falls  into 
divers  temptations.  He  is  often  grateful 
for  things  which  he  earnestly  prayed 
against.  He  finds  prayer  useful  even 
when  he  fails  to  get  the  things  he  prays 
for. 

"He" has  within  him  both  flesh  and 
spirit,  yet  he  is  not  a  double-minded 
man.  He  is  often  led  captive  by  the 
law  of  sin,  yet  sin  has  not  dominion 
over  him.  He  cannot  sin  because  the 
seed  of  God  remains  within  him,  yet 
he  does  nothing  without  sin.  He  does 
nothing  against  his  will,  yet  he  main- 
tains that  he  does  what  he  would  not." 


THE    SAINT.  15 

He  would  not  change  states  with  the 
mightiest  king,  yet  would  be  of  all 
men  the  most  miserable,  if  he  did  not 
expect  a  speedy  and  great  improve- 
ment in  his  condition.  He  may  now 
be  employed  in  sweeping  the  street, 
yet  he  looks  for  glory,  honour,  immor- 
tality, and  eternal  life.  He  knows  that 
flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  king- 
dom of  God,  yet  in  his  flesh  he  hopes 
to  see  God. 

"He  is  often  tossed  and  shaken,  yet 
is  as  Mount  Zion,  which  cannot  be 
removed.  He  is  a  serpent  and  a  dove; 
a  lamb  and  a  lion ;  a  reed  and  a  cedar. 
He  is  sometimes  so  troubled  that  he 
thinks  nothing  true  in  religion ;  yet  if 
he  did  think  so,  he  could  not  be  at  all 
troubled.  He  sometimes  thinks  that 
God  has  no  mercy  for  him,  yet  he 
seeks  for  it."  Even  when  faint  he 
pursues.  He  runs  and  is  not  weary. 
He  walks  and  is  not  faint.  His  foes 
are    mightier    than    he,   yet  he    van- 


16  CHARACTER    OF 

quishes  them.  He  cannot  argue  as 
some,  but  he  can  trust  where  reason  is 
confounded.  If  he  cannot  define  the 
Christian  graces,  he  can  exercise  them, 
and  that  is  better.  The  more  he  feels 
his  un worthiness,  the  more  is  he  settled 
in  purpose  not  to  let  God  go  without  a 
blessing.  He  sees  and  laments  the  in- 
firmities of  Christians,  yet  counts  them 
the  excellent  of  the  earth.  "He  some- 
times thinks  he  has  no  grace  at  all,  yet 
even  then  he  would  not  change  places 
wTith  the  most  prosperous  man  under 
heaven,  who  is  a  manifest  worldling." 

He  often  blames  himself  for  not 
loving  the  house  of  God  more,  yet  he 
would  rather  be  a  door-keeper  there, 
than  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness. 
When  he  is  most  full  he  is  most  empty. 
"  He  was  born  dead;  yet  it  would  have 
been  murder  to  kill  him.  After  he  be- 
gan to  live,  he  was  always  dying." 
And  when  he  shall  be  dead,  then  he 
will  live  for  ever.     He  weeps  at   the 


THE    SAINT.  17 

thought  of  the  crucifixion  of  Christ,  yet 
he  is  constantly  crucifying  the  flesh, 
with  its  affections  and  lusts.  "  He  lives 
invisible  to  those  that  see  him,  for  his 
life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  Those, 
that  know  him  best,  do  not  know  him 
at  all;  yet  these  very  persons  often 
judge  more  truly  of  him  than  he  does 
of  himself."  The  world  sometimes  ex- 
tols him  for  things  over  which  he  weeps, 
and  hates  him  for  things  in  w7hich  he 
glories.  "  He  expects  to  be  as  full  of 
glory  as  those  who  shall  have  more, 
and  no  more  full  than  those  who  shall 
have  less."  His  death  is  the  beginning 
of  his  life  and  bliss.  "  His  soul  is  not 
to  be  perfected  without  the  body;  yet 
his  soul  is  more  happy  when  it  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  body  than  it  was  before." 
His  body  will  awake  in  beauty  and 
freshness  from  a  sleep  in  which  it  fell 
into  utter  decay  and  ruin. 

In  the  last  day,  "his  Advocate,  his 
Surety,  shall  be  his  Judge ;  his  mortal 
2* 


18  CHARACTER   OF 

part  shall  become  immortal;  and  what 
was  sown  in  corruption  and  defilement, 
shall  be  raised  in  incorruption  and  glo- 
ry ;  and  a  finite  creature  shall  possess 
infinite  happiness."  He  shall  be  a  com- 
panion of  all  the  good,  and  of  God  him- 
self. He  shall  have  his  home  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  of  life. 

To  those,  who  know  nothing  except 
what  they  know  naturally  as  brute 
beasts,  all  this  matter  is  foolishness. 
But  to  those  who  are  taught  from  above, 
and  who  have  their  senses  exercised  to 
discern  both  good  and  evil,  it  is  full  of 
light  and  life  and  joy.  These  things 
have  a  full  explanation  in  the  word  of 
God,  and  in  the  experience  of  his  peo- 
ple. Blessed  are  all  they  who  have  an 
unction  that  teacheth  them  all  things. 
Having  viewed  the  saint,  let  us  look  at 

THE    SINNER. 

If  there  be  mysteries  in  godliness, 
are  there  no  mysteries  in  iniquity  ?     If 


THE    SINNER.  19 

there  be  paradoxes  in  the  righteous,  are 
there  not  absurdities  in  the  wicked? 
The  more  you  consider  them,  the  greater 
do  these  absurdities  appear.  In  eter- 
nity, they  will  appear  greatest  of  all. 

Many  a  sinner,  who  admits  that  there 
is  a  God,  says  in  his  heart  and  life  that 
there  is  no  God.  He  could  not  live 
more  as  if  he  knew  that  there  was  no 
God,  if  he  knew  that  there  was  none. 
With  a  God  in  his  creed,  he  is  "  with- 
out God  in  the  world."  Many  a  sinner 
says  he  cannot  believe  what  he  cannot 
comprehend,  yet  he  is  constrained  to 
confess  that  he  comprehends  nothing. 
The  same  man  will  often  believe  the 
most  incredible  things,  and  yet  refuse 
assent  to  truths  to  which  God  has  set 
the  seal  of  his  word,  oath,  and  provi- 
dence. He  thinks  that  God  is  alto- 
gether such  an  one  as  himself,  yet  he 
knows  God  to  be  infinite,  eternal,  un- 
changeable, and  possessed  of  all  perfec- 
tion; and  himself  to  be  finite,  a  worm 


20  CHARACTER    OF 

of  yesterday,  changing  every  day,  and 
without  one  perfection. 

He  says  God  is  a  hard  master,  gather- 
ing where  he  has  not  strewed,  and  reap- 
ing where  he  has  not  sowed.  Yet  he 
acts  as  if  he  knew  that  God  would  not 
reap  where  he  had  sowed,  nor  gather 
where  he  had  strewed.  He  says  God 
is  a  hard  master,  yet  he  does  all  he  can 
to  increase  his  responsibilities  to  him. 
See  how  he  covets  gain,  influence, 
talents,  power,  all  which  will  swell  his 
dread  account.  He  says  God  is  great, 
yet  he  insults  him  daily,  is  bold  to  im- 
pudence even  towards  his  Maker,  and 
thinks  of  him  with  shocking  irrever- 
ence. If  God  were  a  worm,  he  could 
not  treat  him  with  more  contempt.  He 
fears  man,  whose  breath  is  in  his  nos- 
trils, more  than  the  great  God,  who  can 
cast  both  soul  and  body  into  hell.  He 
often  thinks  himself  some  great  one, 
yet  he  lightly  esteems  immortality,  vir- 
tue, and  communion  with  God,  which 


THE    SINNER.  21 

alone  can  make  any  man  great.  He 
greatly  dreads  to  be  a  laughing-stock, 
yet  is  not  afraid  of  sin,  which  alone  can 
make  any  man  despicable.  He  stub- 
bornly pursues  a  course,  which  he 
knows  must  bring  on  him  shame  and 
everlasting  contempt,  the  derision  of 
God,  and  the  laugh  of  angels  and 
men. 

He  knows  he  must  soon  die,  yet  he 
lives,  and  plans,  and  plants,  and  sows, 
and  reaps,  and  garners  up,  and  pulls 
down,  and  builds  as  if  he  were  to  live 
for  ever.  He  admits  some  errors  in  his 
head  and  life,  but  thinks  his  heart  good. 
Yet  his  heart  is  by  far  the  wTorst  part 
about  him.  It  is  desperately  wricked. 
His  whole  course  points  infallibly  to- 
wards sin  and  hell,  yet  he  expects  not 
to  be  lost.  He  intends  to  repent  of  the 
very  course  he  is  pursuing.  He  is 
alive  without  the  law,  yet  he  is  dead 
by  the  law.  He  is  most  dead  when  he 
is  most  alive. 


22  CHARACTER    OF 

He  is  so  keen-sighted  that  he  can  see 
a  mote,  and  yet  so  blind  that  he  cannot 
see  a  beam.  He  often  has  a  view  of 
the  future,  which  surprises  others,  yet 
he  knows  not  what  a  day  may  bring 
forth.  He  knowTs  not  but  that  in  an 
hour  he  may  be  among  the  damned,  yet 
seems  as  quiet  as  if  he  wrere  in  covenant 
with  God.  He  lusts,  and  has  not.  He 
desires  to  have,  and  cannot  obtain.  He 
asks,  and  receives  not,  because  he  asks 
amiss.  He  has  ears  which  are  charmed 
wTith  eloquence,  music,  and  good  news 
from  a  far  country.  Yet  he  is  deaf  as 
an  adder  to  the  best  news  that  ever 
reached  him.  No  music  in  heaven 
would  please  him.  The  songs  of  angels 
are  to  him  dull.  The  most  eloquent 
writing  on  earth  has  for  him  no  attrac- 
tions. He  often  has  a  better  under- 
standing than  his  neighbours,  yet  lives 
and  dies  without  wisdom.  In  earthly 
things,  he  knows  much.     In  heavenly 


THE    SINNER.  23 

things,  lie  acts  like  a  madman.  The 
bee,  the  ant,  the  stork,  might  instruct 
him. 

He  loves  father,  mother,  wife  and 
children,  more  than  he  loves  God,  yet 
he  does  not  love  them  half  so  well  as  if 
he  loved  them  infinitely  less  than  God. 
His  love  to  them  does  not  make  him 
their  real  friend.  The  more  he  loves 
them,  the  greater  hinderance  is  he  to 
their  salvation.  The  wrorld  is  to  him 
every  day  a  cheat  and  a  liar,  yet  he 
trusts  it  more  and  more.  Often  as  he 
has  mistrusted  it,  he  has  not  learned  to 
distrust  it.  His  heart  is  deceitful  above 
all  things,  yet  he  has  no  jealous  watch 
over  it.  He  still  confides  more  in  his 
own  evil  heart,  than  in  the  best  men  on 
earth,  yea,  more  than  in  the  Gocl  of 
truth.  He  boasts  much  of  liberty,  but 
is  always  the  slave  of  sin.  He  has  three 
cruel  task-masters,  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil.  He  serves  them  day  and 
night.     He  makes  brick  without  straw. 


24  CHARACTER    OF 

He  works  for  nothing,  and  finds  him- 
self. He  feeds  on  husks;  yet  he  boasts 
of  liberty. 

"  License  he  means,  when  he  cries  liberty; 
For  who  loves  that,  must  first  be  wise  and  good." 

The  more  he  enjoys,  the  less  enjoy- 
ment he  has.  He  often  confesses  as 
much.  Gardiner  wished  he  was  a  dog, 
and  Voltaire  wished  that  he  had  never 
been  born.  He  hopes  for  better  things, 
when  all  the  evidence  is  on  the  other 
side.  His  very  pleasures  make  him 
miserable.  The  wages  of  sin  is  death. 
In  the  midst  of  plenty,  he  is  poor.  His 
soul  is  perishing,  though  food  suited  to 
it  is  all  around  him.  He  is  noisy  in  his 
mirth,  yet  has  continual  sorrow.  He  is 
pained  if  others  count  him  not  happy, 
yet  he  seldom  thinks  himself  so.  He 
often  has  a  peace  wThich  the  thunders 
of  Sinai  do  not  break,  yet  he  has  no 
peace,  but  is  always  like  the  troubled 
sea,  w7hen  it  cannot  rest,  whose  wraters 
cast  np  mire  and  dirt.     He  trembles 


THE    SINNER.  25 

and  flies  to  an  insurance  office,  when 
he  thinks  that  possibly  his  house  may 
be  burned  down.  But  he  uses  no  pre- 
caution against  the  greatest  losses,  al- 
though he  knows  that  the  world  will 
certainly  be  burned  up.  He  loses  his 
good  name  by  thinking  too  much  of  it 
He  loses  his  property  by  keeping  it.. 
He  loses  his  life  by  saving  it. 

He  hopes  to  be  saved  by  works, 
which  are  hateful  to  God.  He  expects 
to  have  a  fit  raiment  to  go  in  to  the 
marriage-supper  of  the  Lamb,  although 
he  has  no  covering  but  the  filthy  rags 
of  his  own  righteousness.  He  has  no 
merit  of  his  own,  yet  will  not  beg  for 
mercy.  He  is  poor  to  starvation,  yet  is 
too  proud  to  receive  salvation  as  a  gra- 
tuity. He  hopes  for  a  change  in  the 
terms  of  salvation,  though  God  has  said 
they  shall  remain  unaltered,  and  reason 
shows  that  any  change  would  bring 
dishonour  on  God  and  loss  on  man. 
He  often  piques  himself  on  his  birth, 
3 


26  CHARACTER   OF 

yet  he  is  of  his  father  the  devil,  and  his 
works  will  he  do.  He  talks  much  of 
wisdom,  purity,  innocence,  courage,  and 
candour,  but  he  has  none  of  them.  He 
is  a  serpent  in  nothing  but  venom  and 
guile.  He  is  a  dove  in  nothing  but  sil- 
liness. He  is  a  lamb  in  nothing  but 
feebleness.  He  is  a  lion  in  nothing  but 
fierceness.  In  understanding,  he  is  a 
child;  in  malice,  he  is  a  man;  in  en- 
mity to  God,  he  is  a  demon. 

The  fewer  his  fears,  the  more  cause 
of  fear  has  he.  The  brighter  his  hopes, 
the  worse  his  prospects.  The  more 
sure  he  is  of  heaven,  the  more  sure  he 
is  to  come  short  of  it.  He  looks  with 
alternate  envy  and  scorn  upon  the  right- 
eous. He  knows  that  in  the  last  day 
he  will  think  it  a  great  privilege  to  be 
of  their  number,  yet  when  offered  the 
same  blessings,  he  is  often  offended. 
He  knows  that  he  is  a  sinner,  and  yet 
thinks  himself  g;ood  enough.  He  de- 
spises    the   very    blessings   which    he 


THE    SINNER.  27 

envies  in  others.  He  hates  those  most, 
who  love  him  best.  He  is  slowest  in 
being  reconciled  to  those,  whom  he  has 
most  injured. 

He  loves  ease,  yet  toils  for  misery, 
and  searches  for  her  as  for  hid  trea- 
sures. He  loves  life  above  all  things, 
and  yet  he  loves  death  more,  for  he 
refuses  life  when  it  is  offered  him,  and 
chooses  death  when  it  is  set  before  him. 
He  digs  into  hell.  He  sleeps  not 
except  he  has  done  some  mischief. 
Christians  may  let  a  day  pass  without 
doing  any  good,  but  he  does  some  evil 
every  day.  He  knows  that  every  wise 
man  tries  to  do  everything  in  its  season; 
yet  he  sleeps  in  harvest,  and  lies  in 
the  shade  all  summer,  and  at  last  cries, 
"The  harvest  is  past;  the  summer  is 
ended;  and  I  am  not  saved."  With 
him  it  is  a  rule  to  do  the  most  impor- 
tant things  first,  yet  he  invariably  puts 
them  off  to  the  last.  You  shall  find 
him   given    up   to   vanity   and  trifles, 


28        CHARACTER    OF   THE    SINNER. 

when  he  ought  to  be  agonizing  to  enter 
in  at  the  strait  gate. 

He  will  not  risk  any  cause  in  court 
without  skilful  counsel.  Yet  he  ven- 
tures to  go  before  the  Judge  of  all  the 
earth,  and  stand  his  trial  for  eternal  life, 
without  an  Advocate,  though  the  very 
best  one  is  offered  him  without  money 
and  without  price.  In  time  none  per- 
haps denied  his  sagacity,  but  in  eter- 
nity all,  himself  included,  will  confess 
that  he  was  a  fool.  When  wearied  in 
the  greatness  of  his  way,  he  does  not 
say,  "  There  is  no  hope."  He  dies 
without  instruction,  though  surrounded 
by  teachers:  and  in  the  greatness  of 
his  folly  he  goes  astray,  though  he  sees 
the  path  of  safety  plain  before  him. 
He  becomes  a  wandering  star,  and 
goes  blazing  through  darkness  into  the 
blackness  of  darkness  for  ever.  Lo! 
this  is  the  man  that  made  not  God  his 
strength ! 


THE    CONTRAST.  29 


IMMEDIATE    CONTRASTS. 

The  points  of  contrast  in  the  saint 
and  sinner,  might  be  almost  indefi- 
nitely extended.  Take  a  few  more  in 
immediate  connexion.  Of  the  right- 
eous it  is  said,  that  his  giving  a  cup  of 
cold  water  shall  be  rewarded,  his  prayer 
heard,  his  sacrifice  accepted,  and  his 
counsel  fulfilled.  Of  the  wicked  it  is 
said,  his  ploughing  is  sin,  and  his 
sacrifice  an  abomination  to  the  Lord. 
"He  that  walketh  with  wise  men,  shall 
be  wise,  but  a  companion  of  fools  shall 
be  destroyed."  The  righteous  weeps 
over  his  own  sins,  and  the  sins  of 
others;  but  "  fools  make  a  mock  at 
sin."  "  A  righteous  man  regardeth  the 
life  of  his  beast,  but  the  tender  mer- 
cies of  the  wicked  are  cruel."  "He 
that  covereth  his  sins  shall  not  prosper  : 
but  whoso  confesseth  and  forsaketh 
them  shall  have  mercy."  "He  that 
doeth  righteousness  is  righteous;  he 
3* 


30  THE    CONTRAST. 

that  committeth  sin  is  of  the  devil.''" 
"Surely  the  Lord  scorneth  the  scorn- 
ful; but  he  giveth  grace  unto  the 
lowly."  "The  path  of  the  just  is  as 
the  shining  light,  which  shineth  more 
and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.  The 
way  of  the  wicked  is  as  darkness:  they 
know  not  at  what  they  stumble." 

God  says,  "A  little  that  a  righteous 
man  hath  is  better  than  the  riches  of 
many  wicked."  "Better  is  a  little 
with  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  than  great 
treasures  and  trouble  therewith."  To 
the  wicked  he  says,  "I  will  curse  your 
blessings,"  and  "the  rust  of  your  gold 
and  silver  shall  eat  your  flesh,  as  it 
were  fire."  "  There  is  therefore  now 
no  condemnation  to  them  which  are  in 
Christ  Jesus,"  but  "  God  is  angry  with 
the  wicked  every  day."  The  Bible 
says,  "  Many  are  the  afflictions  of  the 
righteous,  but  the  Lord  delivereth  him 
out  of  them  all."  It  also  says,  "  Many 
sorrows  shall  be  to  the  wicked,"  and 


THE    CONTRAST.  31 

there  it  leaves  him.  Of  the  righteous, 
it  says,  "He  is  a  green  olive-tree  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord;  he  trusts  in  the 
mercy  of  God  for  ever  and  ever."  Of 
the  wicked,  David  says,  "I  have  seen 
him  in  great  power,  and  spreading 
himself  like  a  green  bay-tree.  Yet  he 
passed  away,  and,  lo !  he  was  not :  yea, 
I  sought  him,  but  he  could  not  be 
found."  Of  saints,  Paul  says,  "Our 
light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a 
moment,  worketh  for  us  a  far  more 
exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 
God  says,  u  When  the  wicked  do 
spring  as  the  grass,  and  when  all  the 
workers  of  iniquity  do  flourish,  it  is 
that  they  shall  be  destroyed  for  ever." 
David  says,  "Surely  salvation  is  nigh 
them  that  fear  the  Lord,"  but  "salva- 
tion is  far  from  the  wicked."  Of  Jesus 
Christ,  the  righteous  says,  "  My  belov- 
ed is  mine,  and  I  am  his.  He  is  white 
and  ruddy,  the  chiefest  among  ten 
thousand.     He   is  altogether  lovely." 


32  THE    CONTRAST. 

But  to  the  wicked,  Christ  is  "as  a  root 
out  of  a  dry  ground ;  he  hath  no  form 
nor  comeliness;  and  when  they  see 
him,  there  is  no  beauty  that  they 
should  desire  him."  To  the  wicked, 
Christ  crucified  is  a  stumbling-block 
and  foolishness.  But  to  the  righteous, 
"Christ  is  the  power  of  God,  and  the 
wisdom  of  God."  Every  good  man  is 
ready  to  say  with  Paul,  "  God  forbid 
that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  the 
world  is  crucified  unto  me,  and  I  unto 
the  world." 

God  declares  that  the  deliverances  of 
the  righteous  are  preservations,  but 
those  of  the  wicked  are  reservations. 
Paul  says,  what  each  believer  may  say, 
"The  Lord  will  preserve  me  unto  his 
heavenly  kingdom."  Job  says,  "The 
wicked  is  reserved  to  the  day  of  de- 
struction." David  says,  "The  name  of 
the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower ;  the  right- 
eous runneth  into  it  and  is  safe."     But 


THE    CONTRAST.  33 

of  the  wicked,  Isaiah  says,  "The  hail 
shall  sweep  away  the  refuge  of  lies, 
and  the  waters  shall  overflow  the  hiding 
places,  and  your  covenant  with  death 
shall  be  disannulled,  and  your  agree- 
ment with  hell  shall  not  stand."  All 
the  Scriptures  represent  the  victory  of 
the  righteous  as  complete,  and  their 
triumph  as  eternal;  but  God  says,  "the 
triumphing  of  the  wicked  is  short." 
"The  righteousness  of  the  perfect  shall 
direct  his  way:  but  the  wicked  shall 
fall  by  his  own  wickedness."  "When 
it  goeth  well  with  the  righteous,  the 
city  rejoiceth:  and  when  the  wicked 
perish,  there  is  shouting."  "  The  wick- 
ed is  driven  away  in  his  wickedness : 
but  the  righteous  hath  hope  in  his 
death."  "The  memory  of  the  just  is 
blessed,  but  the  name  of  the  wicked 
shall  rot."  -  The  righteous  dies,  and  is 
carried  by  the  angels  into  Abraham's 
bosom.  The  wicked  is  buried,  and  in 
hell  he  lifts  up  his  eyes,  being  in  tor- 


34  THE    CONTRAST. 

ments.  The  righteous  shall  have  "  bold- 
ness in  the  day  of  judgment;"  but  "the 
wicked  shall  not  stand  in  the  judg- 
ment." 

Jesus  Christ  said  to  the  righteous, 
"Blessed  are  ye  that  weep  now;  for  ye 
shall  laugh."  But  to  the  wicked  he 
said,  "Woe  unto  you  that  laugh  now; 
for  ye  shall  mourn  and  weep."  One 
apostle  says  to  the  righteous,  "Rejoice, 
and  again  I  say,  rejoice."  Another  says 
to  sinners,  "Be  afflicted,  and  mourn, 
and  wreep."  At  death  the  troubles  of 
the  righteous  are  fully  and  for  ever 
ended,  and  their  eternal  joys  begin. 
God  wTipes  aw^ay  all  tears  from  their 
faces,  and  they  are  at  rest.  But  at 
death,  the  joys  of  the  wicked  are  fully 
and  for  ever  ended,  and  eternal  sorrow 
begins.  On  them  God  will  rain  snares, 
fire,  brimstone,  and  an  horrible  tem- 
pest. This  shall  be  the  portion  of  their 
cup. 


CONCLUSION.  35 

Reader,  what  sayest  thou?  What 
wilt  thou  do?  Decide  something.  This 
thing  which  I  have  said  unto  thee,  "is 
not  hidden  from  thee,  neither  is  it  far 
off.  It  is  not  in  heaven,  that  thou 
shouldest  say,  Who  shall  go  up  for  us 
to  heaven,  and  bring  it  unto  us,  that 
we  may  hear  it,  and  do  it?  Neither  is 
it  beyond  the  sea,  that  thou  shouldest 
say,  Who  shall  go  over  the  sea  for  us, 
and  bring  it  unto  us,  that  we  may  hear 
it.  and  do  it?  But  the  word  is  very 
nigh  unto  thee,  in  thy  mouth,  and  in 
thy  heart,  that  thou  mayest  do  it. 

"  See,  I  have  set  before  thee  this  day 
life  and  good,  and  death  and  evil.  If 
thou  love  the  Lord  thy  God,  if  thou 
walk  in  his  ways,  and  keep  his  com- 
mandments and  statutes,  thou  mayest 
live,  and  the  Lord  thy  God  shall  bless 
thee.  But  if  thine  heart  turn  away,  so 
that  thou  wilt  not  hear,  but  shalt  be 
drawn  away,  I  denounce  unto  you  this 
day,  that  ye  shall  surely  perish.     I  call 


36  CONCLUSION. 

heaven  and  earth  to  record  this  day 
against  you,  that  I  have  set  before  you 
life  and  death,  blessing-  and  cursing: 
therefore  choose  life,  that  thou  and  thy 
seed  may  live:  that  thou  mayest  love 
the  Lord  thy  God,  and  that  thou  mayest 
obey  his  voice,  and  that  thou  mayest 
cleave  unto  him,  for  he  is  thy  life, 
and  the  length  of  thy  days."  There  is 
mercy,  will  you  not  seek  it?  There  is 
pardon,  will  you  not  accept  it?  O 
come,  come  to  Jesus  Christ.  Come, 
and  welcome,  to  Jesus  Christ. 


THE    END. 


